Conventionally washing machines include a fixed water tank having a top or front opening. A rotatable drum is provided within the tank, the drum having perforated side walls to allow water from the water tank to enter the drum, and an opening which corresponds generally with the opening in the water tank. The opening of the drum has a diameter smaller than the inside of the drum giving an annular ring around the opening. A door providing a water tight seal closes the openings in the drum and water tank.
In use, a user opens the door, thereby giving access to the interior of the drum, and adds items to be washed through this opening into the drum. The door is then closed and the water tank is partially filled with water to commence the washing cycle. The drum is rotated, thereby moving the items in the drum through the water contained in the tank. Agitators are provided in the drum to enhance this movement. The annular ring around the opening in the drum prevents items from passing through the opening and into the water tank itself and prevents them becoming damaged by contact with a fixed door. After completion of the washing cycle, the water in the water tank is drained away and the drum is rotated at high speed to spin out any excess water. After this the door is opened and the user reaches into the interior of the drum and removes the items which have been washed individually.
To avoid the necessity of removing each washed item individually, attempts have previously been made to collect items together within the rotatable drum, either by using a plastics clip to physically attach items together, for example socks, or a bag made from netting which can be placed into the rotatable drum through the small opening to the drum and removed from the drum after completion of the washing cycle as a single item. Such arrangements have not achieved commercial success, provably because they do not allow a complete washload to be kept together due to their limited volume compared to that of the drum.